I LIBRARY OF 00NrTRE8S. 

# -''^ '; f 

I UNITED STATED UE AMERICA. | 



SORGHO 

SUGAR GROWER 



The Culture and Manufacture of Sugar 
and Sirup from the 



CHINESE AND AFRICAN CANES. 



PXJBLISHED BY 



WEBSTER & CO., 

AGENTS FOR THE SALE OF THE 

EUREKA SUGAR PRESS, 

FOR MAKING SORGHO SUGAR. 

18G South Water Street, CHICAGO. 



R. P. Publishing Association Print, 84 Dearborn St. 

^ ' 



( 



SOEGHO SUGAR GROWER. 



THE CULTURE AND MANUFACTURE OF 



SUGAR AND SIRUP, 



^ CHINESE AND AFRICAN CANES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



^ N the year 1851, Count de Montign}^ Consul of 
C^ France, at Shanghae, China, forwarded to Paris, 
some of the Chinese Sugar Cane Seed, 
called Sorghum, being its first appearance in 
Europe. In the month of November, 1854, D. 
J. Brown, Esq., an agent of the United States 
Patent Office, obtained from M. Vilmorin, a Paris- 
ian agriculturist and seedsman, a limited quantity 
of the Chinese Sugar Cane Seed, — this being its 
first introduction in the United States, and was first 
planted in this country in the year 1855. In March, 
1857, Mr. Leonard Wray, of England, arrived in 
New York, bringing with him, from France, a 



a SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

quantity of the African Sugar Cane Seed, called 
Impliee. There are several different kinds of 
both the Sorghum and Impliee, comprised in 
botany under the name Hole us SaccJmratus. In this 
treatise we use the term Sorglio, which includes all 
the varieties of both the Chinese and African. The 
cultivation of these canes, and the manufacture of 
sugar and sirup from them in this countrj'-, has 
been a matter of experiment for several years, which 
lias, through the persevering disposition of the 
enterprising yeomanry of our land, been reduced to 
an absolute certainty, not only in the manufacture 
of syrup equal to the best Sugar house Sirup, but 
in the production of fine granulated sugar. Experi- 
ence has already demonstrated that the choice 
varieties of Sorgho, when properly cultivated, will 
compare Itivorably, in point of richness, with the 
sugar cane Saccharum Officinarum of the tropics, 
from which is made the brown or Muscovado sugar 
of commerce ; known as the Cuba, Havana, Lou- 
isiana and New Orleans sugars. 

This brief treatise is not founded upon theory, but 
is based upon the plain and practical results of the 
ten years experience of the Sorgho growers in the 
United States. 

Sorgho growers have recourse to a large number 
of cane mills for the expressing of cane juice 
from the Sorgho stalks, and numerous evapor- 
ating devices for reducing the juice to sirup, but 
they have been in need of one link, and that an 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER, 3 

important one, to make the chain complete, for the 
manufacture of Dry Sorgho sugar. 

In behalf of the inyentive genius of America, we 
take pleasure in announcing to the Sorgho growers 
that the desired link is found, and named the 
Eureka Sugar Press, for separating pure sugar 
from granulated Sorgho sirup, in paying quantities, 
equal to prime New Orleans, and the best coifee 
sugars. 



WHAT IS SUGAR? 



*5k chemical analysis shows that Cane Sugar 
(^^ is composed of twelve parts carbon, 11 of 
^ oxygen, and 1*1 of hydrogen. In the cane 
stalk are found; 1st. Cells containing sugar and 
water, and, 2d. Tubes, or vessels, for convey- 
ing the crude sap from the roots to the leaves. 
Crude sap consists of water, holding in solution 
amoniacal gases, carbonic acid, and saline matters. 
Arriving at the leaves a chemical change takes 
place, and by a natural process, cane sugar is 
deposited in the cells of the plant. A micro- 
scopic examination of a section of Sorgho cane stalk 
shows the pure white crystals of cane sugar as 
well developed as in the best double refined sugar. 
And the perfection of cane sugar manufacture 
would be the extraction of the pure white sugar, 



4 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

Sacchanun Purum, without cliange of color or the 
formation of molasses. Naturally there is no 
molasses in the cane. But cane sugar is of so 
sensitive a composition that it is easily changed in 
the manufacture from cane to grajye or uncrystalUza- 
hle sugar. This change is principally produced by 
imperfect and long boiling. A slow heat induces 
fermentation of certain parts ; an excessive heat 
scorches the crystallizable portion, thereby decom- 
posing the granules, and the result of either isxtreme 
is molasses. When we arrive at a perfect system of 
extraction of the sugar from the cane, the result 
will be pure white sugar, without refining. 



BEST VARIETIES OP SORGHO CANE 
FOR SUGAR. 

fHE great object should be first to obtain those 
varieties of sugar cane that have proved to 
be the most successful in crystallizing. The 
Oom-see-a-na, known as black Imphee, and Nee- 
a-za-na, called white Imphee, mature early, and 
are considered by many experienced sugar growers 
to be superior to other varieties, as possessing more 
crystallizable sugar. And the common Sorghum, 
when properly evaporated, icill readily crystallize, 
as manj^ of the sugar growers have told us that 
thej^ can furnish " mush sugar from tJis common 
JSorghvm, by the ton.'' 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 



CULTIVATION OF THE SORGHO CANE 
SOIL. 



fHE soil best adapted for the cane is light, 
loamy, rolling land. Sandy soil is preferable. 
Do not plant on low, mucky ground. Sorgho, 
when grown on sandy soil, contains less vegetable 
albumen, — which is tlie substance that gives the 
sirup the green or rank taste, — than that grown 
on low and rich lands. Cane raised on manured 
land usually yields sirup very acid, of a dark 
color and a rank taste, containing a large amount 
of vegetable matter and grape sugar. The light, 
barren soils produce the best flavored sirups, and 
the lightest colored sugar. 



CULTURE. 



^N preparing the land, j;Z(?zo deep, as Sorgho 
(^ roots are very penetrating. Fall plowing is 
considered preferable. Loosen the ground 
thoroughly in the spring, eitlier with a heavy 
harrow or cultivator. Kidge the ground with a 
light plow, as for sweet potatoes, from North to 
South, four feet apart ; by so doing the ground will 
be kept warm and dry. When the level soil is cold 
and wet, by ridging from ten to fifteen days time 
may be gained in ripening the stalk. Plant or drill 



SORGHO SUGAK GROWEB. 



in the seed on the ridges, about every eighteen 
inches, or plant in hills the same as corn. About 
two quarts of seed per acre are required. 



SPEOUTING SEED. 



fUT the seed into a cloth bag and soak in warm 
water twenty-four hours, then bury the bag in 
a warm soil, manure or steam pit, until sprouted, 
whicli will usually require from two to four days. 
Two weeks time may be saved in the ripening 
of the cane, by sprouting before planting. Plant 
shallow, not over one inch deep. Deep planting 
checks its growth, and frequently rots the seed, 
therefore plant shallow — half inch is sufficient. 



PLANTING. 



fL ANT as early in the spring as the weather will 
admit. Many Sorgho growers put from ten to 
twenty seeds in a hill, with a view of having 
main stalks enough, so that they will not sucker, 
this being prevented by having a large quantity 
in the hill, although the stalks will not grow as 
large ; but it is claimed that moderate sized stalks 
yield a juice of a less rank taste, hence, they will 
make a better quality of sirup and sugar. Plant 
shallow, veiy shalloic. 



SOEGHO SUGAR GROWER. i 

CULTIVATION. 

'HEN the plants are up, wliicli in fair weather, 
will be in four or five days, use a small plow 
or cultivator, and work the same as corn. 



WEEDS. 

LLOW no Aveeds to grow among the cane, as 
] they materially check its growth and detract 
more or less of its saccharine richness. 



STOP WOKKING THE CANE. 

fFTER the cane is two and a half or three feet 
high, it sJioidd not he icorked, as it is kept grow- 
ing longer, and thus prevents early ripening. 
Many work their cane too late in the season to 
insure a good crop, especially for sugar. 



SAVING THE SEED. 



^HE Sorgho grower should pay careful attention 
^ to the selection of seed, by adopting a system of 

reproducing from the best samples. 
The most important qualities in the cane are 



8 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

saccliarine richness, per centage of juice, large 
stalk, granulating properties, and in the Northern 
States, where the seasons are short, the seed should 
be selected with particular reference to early matu- 
rity ; and these qualities should, so fiir as possible, 
be all combined. 

In every field of cane some stalks ripen earlier, 
some grow to a greater size, some are more juicy, 
and some richer in sugar than others. It should be 
the aim of every planter to select from his growing 
cane the individual stalks which most fully com- 
bine these qualities, and gather the seed which they 
yield for the next season's planting. This process 
should be pursued from year to year, always pro- 
ducing from the ricliest, the largest and the earliest 
stalks, and thereby prevent the rich Sorgho from 
deteriorating. Collect the seed from the early stalks 
as soon as it is fairly into the dough, by cutting oft 
the tufts — and only those that are perfectly matured 
on the stalks combining the above described quali- 
ties — and then strip otf the lower footstalks of the 
tuft, tie them in small bundles, and hang tliem in a 
dry shelter, where they will be secure from the mice, 
rats and the rain. 



WEIGHT OF SEED. 



^ORGHO SEED weighs forty-eight pounds to 
the bushel. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 9 

HOW TO PUBCHASE GOOD SEED. 

fHE safest method in purchasing seed is upon the 
tuft, -when, if sold by weight, a deduction of one- 
tenth for the weight of stalk, etc., would be 
about a fair rate of discount. 



HYBRIDIZATION. 



JI^HE seed of Sorgho, if grown near either Indian 
^ or Broom Corn, is liable to be affected, even at 
^^ a distance of sixty or eighty rods. In gather- 
ing seed for planting, secure that which grows 
the ftirthest from fields of Broom or Indian Corn. 



HARVESTING. 



frIE time to commence gathering the cane will 
difier greatly in different localities and different 
seasons, but as a general rule in the Northern 
States it is from the middle of September to the fiist 
of October, or soon as the seed is ripe ; which may 
be determined by the dough in the seed being stiff 
and hard. 

The cutting should then be proceeded w^ith 
expeditiously to secure the crop from danger of frost. 



10 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

The stripping of the leaves from the stalk ^can be 
accomplished just before cutting or soon afterwards. 
It is believed by many that by gathering the cane 
with the leaves on it and retaining it thus under 
shelter for a few days, it will add somewhat to its 
saccharine properties. 



SHELTER THE CANE. 

^UT it is absolutely necessary that the cane 
should be protected from the storm, or the 
leaves would soon mold and impart an unpleas- 
ant flavor to the sirup and sugar. Do not let the 
butts of the cane touch the ground, as dirt will 
adhere to them, and have a tendency to make the 
sirup dark colored. 



USE NO UNKIPE CANE. 

tN gathering reject the unripe and inferior canes. 
Cut the cane stalk about six inches from the 
ground, and clip off" about three feet from the 
top — using the balance. The top of the cane stalk 
contains a greater amount of acid and Poetene — a 
dark, bitter substance — than the main body of the 
stalk. Therefore, by removing the top a better 
quality of sirup and sugar is obtained. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 11 

CANE TOPS FOR FODDER. 

fHE top of the stalks when cut off should not be 
wasted. The seed heads, together with about 
three feet of the top of the stalk, should be cut 
off and tied into small bundles with the leaves ;: 
they are considered better food for every kind 
of stock than sheaf oats, thus making a valuable 
addition to the farmer's stock of fodder. 



CANE MILLS. 



'SE the best mill for expressing the juice from 
' the cane, that will accomplish its work effec- 
tually without loss of the juice. 



SHOCKING THE CANE. 

tF it is not convenient to press the juice out of 
the cane immediately, it should be shocked 
after the method adopted by farmers for corn 
stalk fodder. But it should not be allowed to 
remain in the field but a few days. It must be- 
removed to a barn or shed, so as not to be exposed 



12 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

to tlie rain or frosts, otherwise the saccharine rich- 
ness will be more or less deteriorated. 



FROZEIQ" CANE. 



fREEZING will almost, if not wholl3% destroy 
the granulating properties. Cane fully ripe is 
much less liable to injury from frost than green 
cane. Ripe cane, when protected from the rain and 
frost, will keep unchanged for months. 



SIRUP FROM GREEN CANE. 

to not in anj- instance use the juice from the 
suckers for making sugar, as it icill not granu- 
late with any certainty, and if mixed with the 
juice of the ripe cane, will prevent that from 
granulating to a great extent. The same rule 
applies to unripe cane, which will not make good 
sugar in paying quantities. It will make what is 
termed " Grape Sugar," a thick, gummy substance 
— similar in appearance to candied honej^ — contain- 
ing but very little granulated sugar. Neither will 
the green cane, which contains more acid, make 
as good sirup for the table as the ripe cane. For, 
when fully matured, it has passed through a natural 
chemical change. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 13 

DELICIOUS COMPOUND. 

tORGHO Molasses when prepared from green 
cane, and imperfectly boiled, and scorched — 
which is frequentl}^ the case — makes a crude 
article that is used quite extensively in the North- 
west, and is almost as palatable as a compound of 
vinegar^ nut galls, tar and aloes. This may be con- 
sidered a sUgM cause for the prejudice which many 
persons have formed against the use of the extract 
of Sordio. 



PUBIFYING AND NEUTKALIZING. 

fHERE are a variety of opinions in regard to the 
necessity of using something to neutralize the 
acid and purify the juice of the Sorgho cane 
when boiling. Various agents have been used, such 
as Lime, Soda, Potassa, Saleratus, Alum, Cream of 
Tartar, Alcohol, Milk, Animal Charcoal, &c. The 
majority, thus far, appears to be in favor of lime. 
In the manufacture of the Brown Sugar of commerce, 
in the West Indies and Louisiana, lime is almost 
wholly used for neutralizing the acid. (See manu- 
facture of sugar, page 33.) 

Soda or saleratus is also highly recommended by 
many sugar growers. And some of the leading 



14 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

•Sorgho growers claim that rips cane juice does not 
require any neutrahzing agent, especially where 
-cane fully matures on wnrm sandy soil. 



THE COMMON NEUTRALIZER. 

Lime — ( Calx.) 

fHE ordinary quick-lime is procured from common 
limestone by burning. By mixing an excess of 
lime with water, so as to form a thick liquid like 
cream, the mixture is called milk of lime, which 
is used in preparing cane juice for sugar. 

Persons unacquainted with the chemical change 
that takes place when lime and acid are co-mingled, 
seriously object to its use ; they supposing that the 
lime actually remains to be digested in their stomaclis 
While the fact is, that a perfect neutralization takes 
place, and notliing but a neutral sediment remains, 
which usually attaches to the pan or pipes, and is 
therefore perfectly harmless. 



EVAPOKATING. 



FTER the juice has been pressed out of the cane 

3 it should be evaporated immediately. By using 

an appropriate evaporating apparatus, scorch- 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 15 

ing or coloring the sirup will be prevented, and 
the sirup produced will be clear, like new honey. 
Filter the juice carefully through sieves or straw, or 
coarse cloth, before running it into the evaporator. 
Boil down as rapidly as possible. Should the sirup 
show a disposition to froth a little, fresh butter or 
lard may be used. Never throw the wdiite scum 
back into the pan, as it retards the crystallizing of 
sugar. Boil rapidly, and skim tliorouglily and fre- 
quently. Evaporate the sirup to about 45° by the Sac- 
charometer, or until the steam escapes in little puffs, it 
Avillthen hair or stretch out to a long slim thread 
when it is rubbed between the thumb and linger. 
This is considered hy some a better test than the 
saccharometer. 

Sirup cannot safely be evaporated beyond this 
point over the naked fire, and if not removed imme- 
diately it may burn. 

It is now ready to run off into coolers. Scorched 

OR BURNT SIRUP WILL NOT GRANULATE with any 

certainty. 



SUGAR COOLERS. 



'OON as the sirup is sufficiently evaporated, 

^ immediately run it off into shallow wooden 

vats, say two by five feet, and six inches deep, 



16 SOKGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

is a very suitable size. The sirup should not 
remain in a body, while hot, to exceed one or 
two inches in depth. If it retains a great heat for 
some length of time, it has a tendency to give the 
sirup a dark color, and lessen its granulating 
properties. 



CRYSTALLIZATIOIT. 



^^FTER the sirup has cooled off in the coolers 
(^^ to about blood heat, then pour it slowly into 

^ the granulating vats. Do not 'put the sirup in 
iarrels if you mish to make sugar. On the Louisiana 
sugar plantations, the ordinary sized vat, for 
granulating the Southern sugars, is six feet 
long, two feet wide, and one foot deep. This is a 
very convenient size for granulating Sorgho. To 
keep out the flies, cover the vats with thin muslin 
or musketo bars. Keep the rooms which contain 
the sirup in vats, about 90° Far., — on no account 
should it be allowed to get below 75°. Stir four 
or five times per day, and granulation will usually 
be effected in from two to fifteen days. To liasten 
granulation, add two or three pounds of dry sugar 
to a vat of the sirup, and stir it thoroughly. As the 
sugar granulates it will settle to the bottom of the vat. 
It is then termed MusJi Sugar. The farmers have 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 17 

heretofore experienced great difficulty in separating 
the sugar and molasses, or, in other words, to dry 
the mush. 



MUSH SUGAR. 



'E are told by many Sorgho growers that they 
can furnish the Mush Sugar by the ton 
Others say, "/ did not try to make Sugar, 
although my Sirup grained nicely.'''' But they com- 
plain that they cannot successfully drain it. Sorgho 
molasses contains a large amount of a peculiar 
mucilage that prevents the sugar from draining on 
the Louisiana Sugar house plan, by which the 
Southern sugars are drained in from forty to fifty 
days after granulating in the open vats as above 
described. 

This difficulty of draining has prevented most of 
the Sorgho growers from making any effort to 
granulate the sirup by evaporating it to the con- 
sistency required to crystallize ; or, when properly 
boiled, they put it into close barrels, which, in most 
instances, prevent granulation. 



THE DIFFICULTY BEMOVED. 

'CIENCE has come to the relief of the sugar 
^ grower, by the introduction of a peculiar 
constructed device. 



18 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

THE EUREKA SUGAB PRESS. 

fY the use of this vahiable invention, a clear, 
light brown and lively sugar can be made from 
the mush in one hour's time, and at the same 
time prepare a delicious sirup, ready for the table. 



FARMERS MAKE YOUR OWI^- SUGAR. 

S'HE farmers need have no trouble in the future 
i relative to making choice sugar from the Chinese 
or African Sugar Canes. 



SIX POUNDS OP SUGAR FROM ONE 
GALLON OF MUSH. 

tROM one gallon of mush weighing twelve 
pounds, the Eureka Sugar Press will make, 
on an average, six pounds of prime sugar, and 
two quarts of delicious sirup. No heat or chemicals 



TEN CENTS PER POUND SAVED IN 
SUGAR. 

^O buy the mush at the present price, — one 
^ dollar per gallon, — and manufacture Sugar 
^ equal in quality to that now sold in market for 



sorCtHo sugar grower. 19 

eigliteeu cents per pound, it would not cost to exceed 
eight cents per pound, thus saving ten cents per 
pound by the use of this admirable invention. 



GRAPES, CURRANTS, PIE PLANT, ETC. 

fHE Eureka Sugar Press is not only designed 
to manufacture sugar, but is also adapted to ex- 
pressing the juice from grapes, currants, straw- 
berries, gooseberries, pie plant, etc., etc., in a pure 
state, for the preparing of wines, etc. Also for 
making cider, and tlie separating of whey from 
cheese-curd, and lard and tallow from the scraps 
after they have been rendered, and in flict all kinds 
of juices and liquids that the former or manufoc- 
turer desires to separate from the solids, which can 
be done in a remarkably short space of time, without 
Jieat, or any loss of the materials. Every fannei''^ 
wife througJiout the land will have a macMne as soon 
as she can see one in operation. No puffing is 
required for this invention, as the Press speaks 
volumes for itself, and stands on its own merits. 



VINEGAR FROM THE SCUM. 

■ HE white scum makes excellent vinegar, made in 
' the same manner as cider or molasses vinegar. 



20 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

BAGASSE, FOR FUEL AND OTHER USES. 

fAGASSE, — pressed cane stalks, — when dry, 
make good fuel. It is also valuable for the 
manufacture of paper. 



VALUE OF SORGHO PER ACRE. 



etri 



ROM an extensive investigation of the raising of 
(^ Sorgho in the Northwestern States, the follow- 
^^ ing is considered a fair estimate of the average 
cost and yield per acre. 

EXPENSE— COST OF RAISING AND MANUFACTURING 
ONE ACRE OF SORGHUM, 

Use of one acre of land, $5.00 

Preparation of soil for planting 2.00 

Seed, 2 Bbs., @ .50 l.OO 

Planting of seed 75 

Working through five times with cultivator and plow 5.00 

Hoeing, weeding and tliining 2.00 

Cutting of tips of stalks and tying in bundles 2.00 

Stripping leaves 1-50 

Three hands, with team, to cut and boil three days 15.00 

Wood, one and one-half cords 3.00 

Interest on machinery 6.00 

Wear and tear of machinerj' 6.00 

Two days work pressing sugar 4.00 

Total expense, $49.25 



YIELD PER ACRE. 



|N one acre of land there can be raised from 
15,000 to 20,000 fully matured Sorgho cane 
stalks, which will produce from 1,500 to 2,000 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 21 

gallons of rich cane juice, weighing 9 lbs. per 
gallon, yielding when properly evaporated, from 
150 to 200 gallons of choice sirup, weighing 12 
libs, per gallon. As soon as thoroughly granulated, 
it is ready for the Eureka Sugar Press. One gallon 
of granulated sirup (or mush), will make 4 to 8 Bbs, 
of Prime Dry Sugar, worth, at present prices of 
sugar, 18 cts. per lb. The balance is choice sirup, 
worth, at present prices, $1.00 per gallon. 



ESTIMATED AVERAGE YIELD PER ACRE. 



Number of fully matured stalks 17,000 

Gallons of rich cane juice 1,750 

Gallons of choice sirup 175 

Number of pounds of Prime Dry Sugar ^ gall., 6, realizing 
@ 18c. ^ ft), $1.08, and 2qts. choice sirup® $1.00 "ipi gall., 
50c , making $1.58 %^ gall, of sirup, which, at 175 gallons 

"f, acre, is $276.50 

Ten bushels of seed '^. acre, worth if gathered with toj) of 
stalk for feeding stock, at least, 10.00 

Total i-eceipts per acre $286.50 



NET PROFITS.— RECAPITUIjATION. 



175 gallons of sirup, yielding 6 lbs of sugar '^ gall-, pro- 
duces one thoumnd and fifty pounds of j>ri)ne dry sugar 

per acre, @ 18 cts. '^3 ft) $189.00 

The balance 87^^ gallons choice sirup @, $1.00 ^ gall. , 87.50 

Ten bushels of seed, if gathered with top of stalks, for feed- 
ing stock are worth at least 10.00 

Gross receipts per acre, $286.-50 

Cost of raising and manufacture. 49.25 

Net profits per acre of Sorgho, $237.25 



23 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

SAVED BY USING THE EUEEKA SUGAR 
PBESS. 



375 gallons granulated sirup worth $1.00 fs gall., $175.00 

175 gallons granulated sirup when made one half in prime 
dry Sugar, the remainder in choice sirup, both are 
equivalent when separated, as above shown, to $1.58 ^ 
gall., saving 58c. f^ gall, on 175 galls., or, amount saved 
by the Press on the product of one acre $101i50 



VARIETIES OP IMPHEE. 

'R. LEONARD WAY introduces fifteen varie- 
ties of Impbee as the product of Caffraria, 
^ Southeastern Africa, the countiy of tlie Zulu- 
Caffres, in latitude 30^ South. The following are 
the Zulu-Caffre names of the fifteen varieties : 
Oom-see-a-na, Koom-ba-na, 

Nee-a-za-na, Shla-goo-va, 

E-a-na-moo-dec, Zim-ba-za-na, 

Boom-vwa-na. E-en-gha, 

Shla-goon-dee, See-en-gla, 

Zim-moo-ma-na, E-thlo-sa, 

E-both-la, Vim-bis-chu-a-pa. 

Boo-ee-a-na, 
Of the above named varieties the Vim-his-clm-a-pa 
is the largest and the richest. It grows to the 
height of twenty feet, and the stalk is from two to 
three inches in diameter. But it requires from four 
to five months to mature in a tropical climate, there- 
fore it cannot be matured in the Xorth with any 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 23 

degree of certainty. The same may be said of many 
of the other varieties. Of the fifteen varieties of 
Imphee, only two, the Oom-see-a-na and JVee-a-za-jia, 
are grown to an}?- extent in the Northern States. 



SORGHUM. 



fHE Chinese Sorghum is generally raised by most 
of the sugar growers in the North, and is 
already too well known to require any particu- 
lar description. 



EGYPTIAN". 



tF Sorghums, there are in Egypt six different 
kinds, namely : 

Dou-ra Hum-ra, Dou-ra Kay-dee, 

Dou-ra By-ood, Dou-ra Suf-fra, 

Dou-ra Say-fee, Dou-ra 0-way-geh. 

The above varieties of Egypt are not grown to 
any extent in this country. 



IS IT O-TA-HE-IT-AN" ? 



N some parts of the Northern States the sugar 

) growers are cultivating a variety of cane which 

they call 0-ta-he-it-an. It yields a large per 



24 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

cent of saccharine richness, and ciystallizes more 
readil}^ than any other variety of cane. 

But, upon investigation, the Otaheitan cane is 
found to be one of the varieties of the India cane 
introduced into the West Indies from the Island of 
Tahita (Otaheite), by Bougainville and Bligh It 
is distinguished by its great lieight, and requires 
upwards of five months to mature in a tropical 
climate, being cultivated only from the cuttings, as 
all tropical canes are. 

This brief description and history of the Otaheitan 
certainly disposes of the necessit}'^ of any discussion 
relative to maturing the West India Otaheitan, in 
the Northern States. The so-called 0-ta-M-it-aii by 
the Northern sugar growers is doubtless a cross 
between the Oom-see-a-na and the Chinese Sorghum, 
which has greatly improved the new edition. There- 
fore it makes no difference in the abstract as to the 
name we attach to the cane. It is the best cane that 
the sugar grower is desirous of cultivating, regard- 
less the name. 



SOKGHO SUGAR IN 1862. 

^11 E select the following statements from a few 
' of the Sorgho growers in 18G2 : 

'^Made 500 fts. Sorgho Sugar."— C. W. Hunten 
Madison, Indiana. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 25 

" Made 5 tons last fall."— H. R. Smith, Quincy, 111. 

" Made about 500 lbs."— J. W. Steed, Woodsfield, O. 

" Made 50 lbs. from a five gallon keg of sirup." — 
Avenger & Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio. 

" One hundred tons were grained in the North 
this year." — E. F. Newberrg's Prize Essay on Sor- 
ghum and Imphee, published by the Valley Farmer, 
St. Louis, Mo. 

"Made 300 lt)S." — Hon. C. B. Lines, of Kansas. 

"Made 225 fcs."— E. S. Ricker, Clermont, Ohio. 

"Made 400 lbs."— Henry Cook, Clermont, Ohio. 

".Made 950 gallons of mush." — David Barret, A. 
Lodhimter, M. Juty, Fayette, Ohio. 

"Made 1650 gallons of mush."— E. F. Babb & 
Daniel Miller, Muncie, Ind. 

"Made 600 gallons grained sirup." — John Fabrick> 
Kankakee. 111. 

"I find no trouble in making muslin — O. K. 
Brainard, Marion, Iowa. 

"It is as easy to make Sorgho sugar as it is maple 
sugar." — Thomas Maxwell, Lexington, Ohio. 

"One of ni}^ neighbors made a beautiful quality 
of white sugar from Sorgho." — J. Devons, Gallatin, 
Illinois. 

"Made 3,000 gallons Sirup, and found no difficulty 
in graining it. — Isaac Crisman, Sycamore, 111. 

And numerous others could be named if it was 
deemed necessary to adduce further proof in regard 
to the making of Sorgho Sugar. 



36 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

CHI-]SrA AF-RI-CA, 

tS a variety prodnced by crossing the African 
Nee-a-za-na, or white Imphee, with the Chinese 
Sorghum, Holcus Saccliaratus. This variety 
promises well. It yields a rich sirup that crystal- 
lizes freely, and produces a fine quality of sugar. 



NEW VARIETIES. 

fOUBTLESS, by crossing other African varieties 
with the Chinese Sorghum, new varieties may 
be produced, that will prove superior to any 
now raised in the Northern States. 



CROSSING. 



fix together, before planting, equal proportions 
of the seed of the varieties desired to be 
crossed. 



PRAIRIE FARMER. 



^^ 



TE are under many obligations to the enterpriz- 

1t ing Editors of the Prairie Farmer, for the 

valuable information contained in their 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 27 

agricultural journal, during the past few yearSy 
relative to the culture of the Sorgho cane and the 
manufacture of sirup and sugar. 

The interest manifested by the Editors in regard 
to the merits of Sorgho, makes it highly important 
that every sugar grower should attentively peruse 
the Prairie Farmer, and thus keep posted in the 
progress of Sorgho and other agricultural products. 
It costs only $3.00 per year. Published by Messrs. 
Emery & Co., 204 Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois. 
It may save the former hundreds of dollars per 
annum. 



THE EUEEKA SUGAR PRESS. 

tS substantially built of wrought and cast iron ; 
not liable to get out of oider, and consists of 
a dovble perforated cylinder, nine inches in 
diameter and twenty inches in height, with a 
capacity for holding five gallons (or sixty pounds) 
of mush sugar, at a pressing. The mush sugar is 
poured in at the top of i\\\s peculiarly constructed cylin- 
der, in the centre of which is a vertical core cylinder, 
resting upon a convex follower wuth inclined grooves 
covered with double perforated metalic plate for the 
purpose of conveying the sirup from the centre to 
the sides of the cylinder upon application of a 
plunger (containing an air chamber) that slides over 



28 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

the core cylinder, wliich, upon application of the 
lever, forces by atmospheric pressure, the sirup to a 
receiver below. The sugar being retained in the 
cylinder, can, by removing a bottom slide, be 
transferred, when desired, to the sugar receiver. 

After the mush is put into the cylinder a weight 
is attached to the lever, and it requires no further 
attention until the expiration of about one hour, 
which is sufficient to separate the sirup from the 
sugar. The cylinder full of v>^ell granulated mush 
will yield from 25 to 30 Ibs. of prime sugar. 

Full directions for using accompany each press. 
Price, $65.00 

Liberal discount to the trade. 

Address all orders or enquiries relative to the 
Eureka Sugar Press, to Webster & Co., 186 
South Water Street, Chicago, Illinois. 



FAILURE OF THE SOUTHERN SUGAR 

CROP. 

WILL SUGAR ADVANCE THIS FALL? 

^ FEW nervous persons have expressed their 
(^^ belief that by the making of Sorgho sugar in the 

^ north, the price of sugar would decline to such 
an extent that Sorgho growers would be obliged 
to abandon the raising of Sorgho in the northern 
states. 

For the benefit of such persons, we will state that 
the annual produce of sugar in Louisiana, before the 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 2^ 

rebellion exceeded four hundred thousand (400,000) 
hogsheads, which has since diminished to about ten 
thousand hogsheads. From reliable sugar men in 
New Orleans, they now estimate that the probable 
amount this year (1865), may reach 30,000 hogsheads 
They also say there is danger that the planters will 
lose the seed cane unless renewed attention is given 
to the crop. It will at least require three or four 
years to raise anything like the amount of sugar 
made per annum prior to the rebellion 

And we can raise Sorgho in the north as cheap as 
southern sugar can be produced hereafter. 

Unless the human family abandon the use of 
sugar, there is no prospect of any great decline in 
the price for years to come. 

By a careful estimate, the average consumption 
of sugar in the United States per annum is nine 
hundred thousand hogsheads, or about 40 Its. for every 
man, woman and child. 



THE EUREKA SUGAR PRESS AS A TINC- 
TURE PRESS, FOR DRUGGISTS. 

fHIS Press is admirably adapted to druggists use. 
After the substances designed for tinctures are 
macerated or digested the usual time, introduce 
them into the cylinder of the press. The liquid 
portion can be expressed in from 15 to 30 minutes. 



30 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

The tincture being expressed and strained — by the 
press — passes into the receiver below. The dregs 
"being pressed dry, more liquid is obtained by the 
Eureka press than by the usual method. 

And for preparing tinctures by jJercolation or dis- 
■placement the Eureka press is preferable to any 
other apparatus now in use. 

The Eureka presses are manufectured by the 
Eureka Sugar Press Companj^, and kept constantly 
on hand, by Webster & Co., 186 South Water 
Street, Chicago, Illinois. • 



COST OF SOKGHO SUGAR AND SIRUP. 



Only 2 1-2 cts. per lb. to raise and make Sorgho 
Sugar, and 28 cts. per gall, to make Sirup. 



^y^S before shown, the average yield of Prime Dry 
t^5 Sugar per acre is 1,050 IT^s., and 87i^ gallons of 
^ choice sirup, at a cost of $49.25. 

But to make it round numbers, and call the cost 
per acre $50, and the yield only 1,000 tt>s. of sugar 
per acre, and ^1% gallons sirup. By dividing the 
cost of raising and making, equally between the 
sugar and sirup, it makes the sirup cost 28 cents per 
gallon and the sugar only 2)^ cents per pound. 

Surely formers will not in the future hesitate to 
make their own sugar when they can make it so 
cluap, dean and pure. 



HISTORY 



SOUTHERN SUGAR CANE. 



Saccharum Officinarum. 



fHE native coinitiy of sugar cane is China, in 
Asia. Sugar lias been known from the earliest 
ages. The Chinese were acquainted with the 
manufacture of sugar from the sugar cane over 
two thousand years ago. 

Chinese sugar, in small quantities, occasionally 
found its way into ancient Europe. The Greek 
physicians procured it from the Arabian merchants, 
and used it exclusively as a medicine. Early in the 
tenth century, it was cultivated in the vicinity of 
Ormus, on the Persian Gulf, and was carried from 
thence to Mesopotamia, a country celebrated for its 
sugar in the time of the Crusades. About that 
period the Venetians brought it to Europe. From 
1466 to 1580, sugar was rare in England, being used 
only in the houses of the wealthy, or in medicine. 
Upon the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope and 
the maritime route to the East Indies, the commerce 



33 SORGHO SUGAK GROWER. 

in sugar passed into the hands of the Portuguese. 
Subsequently, the cultivation of the cane was ex- 
tended to Arabia, Egypt, Sicily, Spain and the 
Canaries, and finally, upon the discovery of the 
new world, to America. 

In 1643, the English began the manufacture of 
sugar in St. Christophers and Barbadoes, and in 
Jamaica in the year 1656. 

Our term sugar is probably derived from the 
Bengalee sJiukkur, the name b}' which it is still 
known in India. 

Sugar has become a common article of food 
throughout the civilized world. During the past 
few years, the greater part of the sugar of com- 
merce has been manufactured in the West Indies, 
and some of the Southern United States It is 
produced most abundantly in the West Indies, 
which supply the greater part of the consumption 
of Europe, little, comparatively, being taken thither 
from Brazil or the East Indies. The consumption 
of the United States, for a few years prior to the late 
rebellion, was more than half supplied by Louisiana 
and other Southern States. The crop of sugar of 
Louisiana from 1855 to 1860, was estimated at 
400,000 hogsheads per annum. Within a few yeai-s, 
the Southern planters have introduced a variety of 
sugar cane called the 0-ta-Jiite cam, which is harder 
and more productive than the common cane, and 
better suited to the climate of the Southern States. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 33 

THE RICHEST SUGAR CANES. 

fHOSE canes which have not flowered, or have 
no tendency to flower, are ricliest in sugar, and 
the lower part of the stalk contains the greatest 
proportion. The juice constitutes about 88 percent, 
of the cane, and when expressed ferments rapidly y 
forming an acid, so that it requires to be immedi- 
ately evaporated, and its acidity neutralized, before 
sugar can be made. 



MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR. 

fHE ordinary method of purifying the juice of 
the sugar cane for making the Mascovado, or 
hroicn sugar of commerce, is, soon as the juice is 
pressed out of the cane, add eight ounces of the 
milk of lime to 400 pounds (or one bbl. of 40 galls.) 
of the cane juice, and immediately heat in a boiler 
or evaporating pan to 140 ° . (The exact proportion 
of the milk of lime cannot alwa3^s be determined, as 
the juice varies in quality in diff"erent seasons ; but 
the manufacturer should aim at making the liquor 
neutral, or very slightly alkaline.) Acids naturally 
exist in the saccharine juice, and have the effect of 
converting the cane juice into uncrystallizable sugar. 
The use of lime, by neutralizing the acid, prevents 
this result. An excess of lime, however, must ie 
3 



34 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

carefully avoided^ as it injures the product of cane 
sugar botli in quantity and qualitj^ 

When tlie juice is heated from 175° to 190° a thick 
scum forms on top, consisting of albumen and 
gluten, and the liquid beneath is drawn off and 
strained into another boiler, and boiled to a thick 
sirup, — Sacchari Siruinis Empyreumaticus. The re- 
quired density for sugar is from 40° to 45° Beaume. 
It is then transferred to shallow vessels, called 
coolers, and again conveyed, when about blood 
heat, into v/ooden vats having jjerforated bottoms, 
with the holes temporarily plugged. At the expira- 
tion of twenty-four hours the sirup is stirred from 
time to time, with wooden stirrers, in order to 
accelerate the granulation of the sugar, which is 
usually completed in one or two days. When 
granulation is effected the stoppers in the bottom 
of the vats are removed, and the sirup is allowed to 
drain off from the sugar, which is usually completed 
in from three to five weeks. In this condition it is 
granular, of a yellowish color, moist and constitutes 
the Muscovado, or hromn sugar — Saccharum commune 
of commerce. The sirup which has drained off is 
sometimes evaporated a second time and a further 
supply of sugar obtained. The liquid which finally 
remains, incapable of yielding more sugar with 
advantage, is called molasses. 

Nine pounds, or one gallon, of the sugar cane 
juice yields, on an average, one pou?id of brown 
su2:ar. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. So 

REFINING SUGARS. 

fHE refining of brown sugar forms a distinct 
branch of business, and the methods pursued 
have undergone many improvements in the 
past few j^ears. In clarifying the sugar, bullock's 
blood, lime, animal charcoal, steam, etc., are used. 
The largest sugar and sirup refinery in the West is 
that of W. H. Belcher, Esq., of Chicago, Illinois. 



THE EUREKA SUGAR PRESS FOR 
SOUTHERN SUGARS. 



vkHE Southern sugar not possessing the jjeculiar 
r^ mucilage which is found in the Sorgho sugar, 
drains quite readily, although it requires from 
three to five weeks to drain. By using the Eureka. 
Sugar Press, the draining can be accomplished in 
ONE hour's time thus preparing the sugar for 
market considerably in advance of the usual method. 



BE NOT DISCOURAGED. 

tORGHO sugar growers who have been unsuc- 
cessful in making sugar, or even good sirup, 
from Sorgho, should bear in mind that it 
required a number of j-ears, with hundreds of 



36 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

thousands of dollars appropriated by Congress, to 
bring about the successful culture, machinery and 
experience to produce even a passable article of 
Muscovado sugar, or molasses, in the Southern 
States. Tlie pure sugar is in the Sorgho cane stalk, 
and it only requires the application of science and 
experience to produce the best of sugar from Sorgho. 



SOKGHO riiOUR A SUBSTITUTE FOR 
BUCKWHEAT. 



fLOUR made from the seed of Sorgho has been 
used to a limited extent, and thus far pro- 
nounced as an admirable substitute for buck- 
wheat, ^he flour made into choice griddle cakes, 
and eaten with delicious Sorgho sirup, will constitute 
about as palatable a luxury as could be desired. 

The average yield of Sorgho seed per acre is 
about forty busMs. 



SOKGHO, OR SOKGO. 



fUCH time has been consumed by writers and 
Sorgho growers, in discussing the propriety 
of spelling the word Sorgho either with or 
without the letter " h." After thoroughly consulting 
the best standard authorities, the weight of evidence 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 37 

preponderates in favor of omittino; the letter "h." 
In the second edition of this work, the word in 
controversy will be spelled "eoRGo." 



THE SORGO JOURNAL AND FARM 
MACHINIST, 

Devoted to Northern Cane and Sugar Beet Cul- 
ture, Improved Farm Machinery, and 
Progressive Husbandry, 



fTANDS foremost among the agricultural jour- 
nals of our land; and especially upon the 
culture of Sorghum, and the manufecture of 
sirup and sugar therefrom. Its able and talented 
editor, Wm. Clough, Esq., who is a scientific and 
practical researcher, and being thoroughly familiar 
with the sugar culture, both in the tropics and the 
Northern States, renders the So)'go Joiwnal of inced- 
culable value to every farmer throughout the land. 
The author of this work is indebted to Mr. Clough 
and the Sorgo Journal for much valuable information 
relative to Sorgo sirup and sugar. 

Tlie Sorgo Journal and Farm 3Iacliinist is worthy 
a place in every household. Price, only $1.00 per 
annum. Published by the Clark Sorgo Machine 
Company, No. 116 Main Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Every sugar grower will find it to his interest to 
peruse Uie Sorgo Journal and Farm Machinist. 



SUGAR, OR SACCHARINE JUICE, 

A Constituent Part of Many Vegetables. 



^N addition to the sorglio and southern sugar 
(^ canes, a brief statement relative to the saccha- 
rine properties of other vegetables is herewith 
I)resented for the consideration of sugar growers. 



MAPLE SUGAR 



^S obtained from the sap of the Sugar Maple, 
(^ Ace7' Saccharimim, which grows abundantly in 
the southern parts of Canada and the northern 
parts of the United States, and proves a considerable 
source of wealth and domestic luxuiy. 



BEET KOOT SUGAR. 



^N the year 1747, Marggraf, an eminent Prussian 
C^ chemist, first called the attention of the pubhc 
to manufacturing sugar from the Beet — Beta 
Vulgaris. Subsequently, Chaptal, a celebrated 
French chemist, established a manufactory of beet 
root sugar. There are at present upwards of five 
hundred establishments for the manufacturing of 



SOEGIIO SUGAR GROWER. 39 

beet root sugar in France. The process is similar 
to that employed in making cane sugar. The white 
beet is the best, as it gives no coloring matter. 

The French make but very little molasses. They 
convert most of the saccharine properties into 
refined sugar, which is equal in whiteness and 
beauty to that from the sugar cane. Beet root sugar 
is said to constitute one-half of the sugar consumed 
in France. 



PALM SUGAR. 



^ LAPtGE quantity of sugar is obtained from 
(^^ the sap of the Date Palm — Phoenix Dactylifera; 
^ the Phomix Syltestris ; and the Gommuti Palm 
Sagtierus Saccarifer ; as well as other species of Palm 
growing in India. 



SUGAR PROM TURNIPS, PARSNIPS AND 
POTATOES. 

JgROF. VON THAER, of Germany, introduced 
d|^ the making of sugar from the Turnip — Brassica 
^ Campestris — which was equal in strength, color 
and hardness to that of the sugar cane. The Carrot 
— JDaucus Car Ota; the Parsnip — Pastinaca Sativa; 
and the Potato — Solanum Tuberosum ; all yield more 
or less sugar, but not enough to render the manu- 
facture desirable. 



40 SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 

GRAPE SUGAfl. (GIu-cosc.) 

Its Chemical Properties compared with Cane and 
Sorgho Sugar. 

fHE Grape — Vitis Vinifera — contains a large 
quantity of saccharine matter, mixed with 
mucilage; and during the process of drying 
them into raisins, part of the sugar is seen to exude 
and concrete spontaneously on the external part of 
the fruit, from which it might be supposed that to 
obtain this sugar in a purified state would be a work 
of no great difficulty. But the sugar of grapes is 
not of the same kind nor composition as cane sugar, 
and therefore it cannot be made to imitate it. Grape 
sugar is not so sweet as cane sugar, nor so readily 
soluble in water, but is much more soluble in alcoliol. 
Obtained from a concentrated aqueous solution, it 
forms crystalline grains. Strong mineral acids 
hardly act on grape sugar, which destroy cane and 
sorgho sugar with facilit}^. On the other hand, 
grape sugar is destroyed by alkalies, with which cane 
and sorgho sugar forms definite compounds. It 
undergoes very little change by long boiling with 
water, wiiich is apt to decompose cane or sorgho 
sugar, causing a loss in the amount of sugar ob- 
tained. A solution of grape sugar rotates the plane 
of polarization of j^olarized light to the right, and is 
capable of undergoing the vinous fermentation 
immediately, without passing through any interme- 
diate state. Its specific gravity is 1,386, and its 
formula, carbon 12, hydrogen 14 and oxygen 14 parts. 



SORGHO SUGAR GROWER. 41 

LUNCKYSTALLIZABLE SUGAB {ChuJariose.) 

fXISTS in honey and in the juice of fruits, and 
is generated from cane sugar by solution in 
water or weak acids, and long boiling. There- 
fore it constitutes the principal part of molasses. 
A watery solution of this sugar turns tlie 'plane of 
polarization to tJie left, and, like grape sugar, is 
susceptible of the vinous fermentation without an 
intermediate change. Its formula, when dried at 
212° is carbon 12, hydrogen 12, oxygen 12. Un- 
crystallizable sugar is transfonned into grape sugar 
when it is made to assume a crystalline structure, 
but not by mere solidification. A solution of sorgho 
sugar, like that of grape, has a rotating ])oim' to the 
right. When a solution of sorgho ferments, it is 
not, as is generally supposed, first converted into 
grape sugar. It is found to be first changed into 
uncrystallizable sugar ; and, as the change proceeds, 
the rotating power to the right of the sorgho sugar 
gradually lessens and disappears, and is replaced by 
the rotating power to the left of the uncrystallizable 
suorar formed. 



PURE SUGAR. 



lURE sugars, whether made from the southern 
sugar cane, the sorgho plant, or the beet root, 
are identical as regards saccharine richness. 



THE GREAT SECRET IN CRYSTALLIZING 

(or producing mush) 

SORGHO SUGAR. 



Immediately after the juice has been pressed 
•^ out of the ripe Sorgho cane, boil rapidly as 
possible, without heating tlie juice or sirup to exceed 
225° or 230° Fahrenheit, is very essential in maldng 
•sugar. To produce a greater heat may scorch the 
€rystallizable portion ; and to evaporate with a sloio 
heat induces fermentation of certain parts. The 
result of either extreme is sirup, hut no sugar. The 
juice or sirup in the evaporating pan, when boiling, 
should not exceed one inch in depth. A greater depth 
will retard quick evaporation. Skim thorougldy and 
frequently. Evaporate the sirup to about 45° by the 
saccharometer, or until it will stretch out to a long 
thread when rubbed between the thumb and finger. 
The sirup must be immediately run off into coolers, 
(see page 15), and kept in open, shallow vessels, in 
a warm room (see page 16). It will crystallize in a 
few days, if all conditions are right. 



NOTICE TO SORGHUM SUGAR GROWERS! 

AMOUNT OF SOEaHUM RAISED IN 1865. 

We desire one or more sorghum sugar growers in 
every township in the United States, to inform us 
tlie number of acres of sorghtim raised in their 
vicinitj' in 1865 (and in 1864, if convenient), giving 
tlie number of the township, and county and State ; 
togetlier with the general success in making sirup 
and sugar, stating the best varieties of sugar cane 
they have raised, for producing sugar, and all 
other information they have, relative to sorghum, 
will be thankfully received. We request every 
farmer to write us their experience in raising sugar 
cane, stating the number of acres raised, and amount 
of sirup and sugar made th is year. 

It is our design, with the assistance of Dr. W. C. 
Bruson, author of the Sorgho Sugar Grower and 
inventor of the Eureka Sugar Press, to present 
an enlarged, revised and illustrated edition of the 
Sorgho Sugar Grower next winter, giving additional 
information, with the view of promoting the in- 
terests of the sorgho sugar growers. Whatever 
errors may have occurred in the ■ present volume 
will be corrected in the next edition. 

Address all communications to 

WEBSTER & CO., 
P. 0. Box 6188. 186 S. Water St., Chicago, lU. 

[We request the editors of agricultural and other journals, 
favorable to sorghum sugar culture, to send us their paper, and 
they will duly receive a notice in our next edition.] 



> 



TOTICE TO SORGHUM SUGAR GROWERS! 

AMOUNT OF SOEGHUM RAISED IN 1865. 

We desire one or more sorghum sugar growers in 
every township in the United States, to inform us 
tlie number of acres of sorghum raised in their 
vicinity in I860 (and in 1864, if convenient), giving 
the number of the township, and county and State ; 
togetlier with the general success in making sirup 
and sugar, stating the best varieties of sugar cane 
they have raised, for producing sugar, and all 
other information they have, relative to sorghum, 
will be thankfully received. We request every 
farmer to write us their experience in raising sugar 
cane, stating the number of acres raised, and amount 
of sirup and sugar made this year.. 

It is our design, with the assistance of Dr. W. C. 
Bruson, author of the Sorgho Sugar Grower and 
inventor of the Eureka Sugar Press, to present 
an enlarged, revised and illustrated edition of the 
Sorgho Sugar Grower next winter, giving additional 
information, with the view of promoting the in- 
terests of the sorgho sugar growers. Whatever 
errors may have occurred in the present volume 
will be corrected in the next edition. 

Address all communications to 

WEBSTER & CO., 
P. 0. Box 6188, 186 S. Water St., Chicago, 111. 

[We request the editors of agricultural and other journals, 
favorable to sorghum sugar culture, to send us their paper, and 
they will duly receive a notice in our next edition.] 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



0DDEt.aST372 



